To Hold One’s Joy

Chapter 5.1: Murder Suspect

"The first to arrive is our young master. He came to persuade you to give up on Su Er Gongzi," Luo Sheng raised her eyebrows slightly. "Persuade? Not scolding me?" Hong Dou froze. Luo Sheng said expressionlessly, "Don't conceal anything from now on." She needed accurate information, not words that were embellished and misleading.

Hong Dou responded with a "yes" and continued to speak eloquently, "Young master came and scolded you before leaving, and then the two biaoguniang[1] came. Sheng Daguniang said similar things as a young master. While Sheng Erguniang advised you to calm down and persuaded you and Sheng Daguniang to stop fighting..."

Luo Sheng lightly tapped her white and delicate fingertips on the desk and asked, "So, does that mean Sheng Jia Lan[2] treats me well?" "Yes, among your cousins, Sheng Erguniang is the kindest to you. Unlike Sheng Daguniang, who always opposes you..." Luo Sheng listened quietly and fell into thought. When it comes to murder, there must be a motive.

In the past three days, Sheng's family members had visited her one after another. She had not spoken much but had listened and observed everyone, so she had an impression of all of them. Sheng Laotaitai is helpless and disappointed, while Sheng Dataitai and Ertaitai dislike her but have to put on a caring facade. Sheng Dajiu had a lingering fear of her incident, and Sheng Erjiu was not home. Luo Sheng concluded that the elders of the Sheng family had the least chance in masterminding Miss Luo's death.

Miss Luo's father had a high status and importance. He had sent his troublesome daughter to her maternal family to lie low until the fuss in the capital died down. If something happened to her, it would be difficult for the Sheng family to account for themselves to Commander Luo.

On the other hand, it was difficult for outsiders to sneak into Miss Luo's boudoir. Therefore, the Sheng's younger generation are highly suspicious. 

Miss Luo's younger brother, Luo Chen, who hates her but defends her. Sheng Jia Yu, Sheng Daguniang, who doesn't even bother to refer Miss Luo as "biaojie". Sheng Jia Lan, Sheng Erguniang, who is kind to Miss Luo, and the other four male cousins who have limited contact with Miss Luo—

Who could be the one responsible for Miss Luo's murder? Luo Sheng once again looked at the white silk hanging from the beam. Needless to say, this killing method is rather crude. 

The murder motive may have existed for a long time. However, what triggered the murderer to act hastily probably occurred three days ago. On that particular day, Miss Luo expressed her feelings for Su Ergongzi to Sheng Laotaitai. Shortly after, she was murdered...

These two incidents must be related to each other!

Luo Sheng had a vague guess about the culprit, and another question arose in her mind: How could Miss Luo remain asleep without waking up or showing any signs of struggle while being hanged from the beam? She meticulously scanned the room, and her eyes eventually rested on the blue-white multicolored plum-patterned porcelain tea set, which was missing a teacup. The missing teacup had just been shattered to pieces by her, and fragments of broken porcelain were still all over the floor.

"Did my brother and the others drink tea when they came?" Hongdou didn't understand how the conversation had shifted, but she recalled Luo Sheng's instruction to answer all her questions. "Young master left immediately after scolding you, but when Sheng Daguniang argued with you, Sheng Erguniang poured a cup of tea for you, trying to persuade you to calm down." "And I drank it?"

"Yes, you drank it—" Hongdou realized belatedly, "Miss, do you think there is something wrong with the tea?" Luo Sheng remained silent, knowing that even if there were a problem with the tea, it would be impossible to investigate it at this point.

Still in shock, Hong Dou exclaimed, "If there's something wrong with the tea, doesn't it mean that Sheng Erguniang is involved in harming you? How dare she try to harm Miss!" The young maid leaped up and stormed out with a vengeful expression, declaring, "This maid will confront her and hold her accountable for this!"

"Stop." A faint voice came from behind. Hongdou turned around, puzzled: "Miss?" When did her Miss become a person who could control her temper? She often settled anything upsetting her on the spot. "Don't startle the snake[3]. Besides, this is just a speculation."

Luo Sheng was anxious but knew she couldn't be impatient. First, she has to clean up the mess left behind by Miss Luo. Furthermore—Luo Sheng caressed her wrist gently. The young girl's wrist was pale as frost, symbolizing her prime years. She died against her will and borrowed Miss Luo's body to be reborn. Therefore, she should repay the favor bestowed upon her by Miss Luo. There is kindness to return and revenge to pay. This is her belief.

Observing Luo Sheng's silence, Hong Dou grew anxious. "Miss, does that mean you intend to let this matter slide?" Luo Sheng recovered from her thoughts and smiled lightly: "Of course not, we can't startle the snake, but we can lure the snake out of its hole[4]." "Lure the snake out of its hole?" Hongdou blinked, her eyes sparkling, "How can we lead the snake out of its hole?"

[1] Luo Sheng's female cousins

[2] She’s Sheng Erguniang. Sheng Jia Lan is her name, Sheng Erguniang is how maids refer her

[3] 打草驚蛇 (dǎcǎo-jīngshé):

1. lit. beat the grass to scare the snake (idiom)

2. fig. to inadvertently alert an enemy

[4] 引蛇出洞 (yǐnshé-chūdòng):

1. lit. to pull a snake from its hole

2. fig. to lure sb. Into the open